OCD Planner's Live ALASKA Photo Trip Report 16 day Cruise Tour aboard Radiance

[BecciBoo]

Of course our cruise is at end of season though, so will plan on it being a bit warmer.

I also look pretty silly in hats, but am taking my fox headband. I look O.K. with my hair showing on top. It has Velcro so you can use it as a muff also. And then my velour gloves are as warm as any I have so taking those.

Still deciding on the shoe situation SR, I have good hikers, but they're heavy. I will wait to decide till after you come back ace! And see what you and others have said. Budget Queen and others who live up there have been the sneakers advocates. Still 99 days out so have plenty of time...

Edited May 29, 2013 by BecciBoo

[cruiseguy1016]

 

And how did you manage to pack a toboggan? ;)

 

 

What part of the country are you from? We're from the northeast and a toboggan is a type of snow sled. In other parts of the country, it's a knit hat. There's a long, funny story about how I learned this.

[ace1zoe2]

What part of the country are you from? We're from the northeast and a toboggan is a type of snow sled. In other parts of the country, it's a knit hat. There's a long, funny story about how I learned this.

 

We're from N Texas where we only see ice every year or two and snow even less often. I am referring to the pull on hat ;)

[Coolcruise02]

Can't wait for more! Speaking as an "over packer" after traveling with our DD & SIL to South America and Europe, where DH and I were limited to a roll aboard and back pack, I am now a firm believer in packing light. It is very freeing! :D

[masonpips]

We booked this cruise way back in March 2012 shortly after the itineraries came out. Since Kruisin Kath (I found out later from our Roll Call thread) had already snagged the much coveted corner aft balcony 9256, I settled for a mid aft on deck seven. Over the course of this past year I watched and upgraded to two different aft cabins on deck 8 & 9. Then in March of this year I cashed in some RCI Visa card points to upgrade from a D2 balcony cabin to OUR FIRST EVER JUNIOR SUITE AFT BALCONY!

 

Is it 1100? Because we have it in 4 MORE WEEKS! So excited to see this thread!!

[ccMiMi]

Can you tell me what flights you have booked for your cruise - which airline and price per passenger?

 

We have a 2014 southbound booked and I'm curious about our flight options. I'm in central TX and can fly out of Houston, Austin, or DFW.

[Seagalpat]

I am so excited about your trip as well as learning all your helpful hints. I have been planning our 14 day cruise and land tour on Radiance for August. We also are staying four additional days in Fairbanks so we can go on the Arctic tour. I have folders for everything, cross referencing information, articles, helpful hints etc. Husband and friends also think I am obsessed, but I thrive on being a flexible organizer (sounds healthier) :)

Anyway thank you for all your time, effort and information.

Oh are you taking long underwear? As you see we are from Florida. Also any idea as to number of folks taking the land portion of the trip?

[Suede]

Of course our cruise is at end of season though, so will plan on it being a bit warmer.

 

I also look pretty silly in hats, but am taking my fox headband. I look O.K. with my hair showing on top. It has Velcro so you can use it as a muff also. And then my velour gloves are as warm as any I have so taking those.

 

Still deciding on the shoe situation SR, I have good hikers, but they're heavy. I will wait to decide till after you come back ace! And see what you and others have said. Budget Queen and others who live up there have been the sneakers advocates. Still 99 days out so have plenty of time...

 

BecciBoo, we traveled to Alaska (Inside Passage) Aug. 23, 2008 and it was very cold, windy and wet. I was prepared after checking the weather for Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan for about 2 weeks before the cruise.

 

I felt so sorry for the people getting off the ship with sandals and shorts on and no jackets. Some of the people had the super thin poncho's like from the $1.00 stores, with the wind they looked pretty useless. I have read that the weather in Alaska can change fast so dress in layers.

[am-mc]

Can you tell me what flights you have booked for your cruise - which airline and price per passenger?

 

We have a 2014 southbound booked and I'm curious about our flight options. I'm in central TX and can fly out of Houston, Austin, or DFW.

 

We are going in July from Austin - Austin not being a main hub means you will have to go through another airport like DFW or Houston. We have a cruise tour that starts in Fairbanks so our flight is - Austin to Dallas, Dallas to Seattle, Seattle to Fairbanks - we booked that 5 months out and it was very expensive ($900 per person). But we wanted to get there early and have time to settle so we leave at like 6 am and get to Fairbanks at 4pm. We could have done a flight that arrives at night - after midnight - then we could get it much less.

 

Flying into Anchorage for just the cruise will be much better - but be sure to check out the option of Southwest to Seattle and then Seattle to Anchorage (on another airline). I found that was a cheap option too.

 

I know that isnt 100% what you asked - but thought I would share my little bit of research and experience. :D

[chaching]

We went the last week in August, first week of September and didn't need any winter jackets. We used layers... shirt, sweater, then a light jacket. We used gloves only a few times. We were never cold. We hiked at Mendenhall Glacier which was wonderful.

 

I noticed some of the temperatures in Denali and Anchorage are going to be 80 degrees the next few days. Maybe you'll luck out and hit the "warm" season in Alaska. Ketchikan was in the 50s and expecting rain. It changes every year... you just have to be prepared for all types of weather.

 

Thanks for sharing all about your packing. I can't believe you fit all of that in the carry-on and backpack. Hope it works!

 

Looking forward to watching your progress on your Land/Sea tour in a few days!

[Seagalpat]

Seems to me you have given a great outline to go by, including answering my question re long johns. We plan on one check in and back back each... And I thought I was doing great. You have now given me food for thought. Thank you.

[NYCRUISR]

I am interested in booking Alaska for 2014, maybe 2015, so I guess I should start looking at availability. We have also cruised in cabin #9256 so we are well aware of the view!

 

I am particularly interested in all the little details and I will be watching your review closely. I also book some trips more than 2 years in advance and am myself a little OCD about the details and I am the one friends and coworkers come to for the little extra inside tips I've picked up along the way.

 

HOWEVER, you got me on the packing. I am most interested in this as we are doing our third Mediterranean trip and have yet been able to pack correctly!:eek:. We will be doing an 8 London and Paris land tour followed by a 7 day cruise plus the travel time involved. We had cruised with one couple that packed nothing but lightweight clothing that was washable and fast drying. All the clothes were rolled and packed. Still, needing hiking boots, sneakers and dress shoes for dinner make this impossible for me. Not to mention the toiletries. Every trip I promise myself I'm going to do better for the next but it just doesn't happen! LOL I will take any suggestions.

 

Looking forward to all of your review, Carol

[BecciBoo]

I have a weather app for Alaska and have been studying the Alaska boards for months and don't worry, I was a Girlscout...Be prepared!, I have everything from fleece to Columbia outer rain wear, we'll be fine.

My Crocs are not the clunky ones, more like closed toe flats and they go with everything. So I take them for most days on the ship and in the airport. I even wear them with my dressy Chico slacks and glitzy tops, and they are all vinyl!;) And water proof. That way I don't have to take but 2, 3 pairs tops.

 

And NYCruiser, I take the shoes in my tote! No packing them in the big case. I take my jewelry and a very small make up net bag that will pass through the scanners and my cruise binder, that's it, but it sure helps to have them not in the big bag. Of course, I take a couple pairs of flip flops for Caribbean cruises, but none of that for this trip!

 

Sorry ace for being such a highjacker! Please do go one, I'm just so excited!

 

I encourage all of you going now or soon to go over to the Alaska boards and post your hints and experiences. That is my main source for all our information. It really helps if you review it there!

Edited May 30, 2013 by BecciBoo

[ace1zoe2]

Can you tell me what flights you have booked for your cruise - which airline and price per passenger?

 

We have a 2014 southbound booked and I'm curious about our flight options. I'm in central TX and can fly out of Houston, Austin, or DFW.

 

Mimi,

 

My next post will give you the information you need! We are 30 miles south of Fort Worth & drove 2.5 hrs to Austin a couple of years ago to fly to London to visit my daugher because I found a round trip flight for $106 + fees (total $615pp) vs. $1300pp from DFW so I know what you mean! That was an unplanned trip but worked out great!

 

I have a good secret/hint/tip for you coming up later tonight!

[ace1zoe2]

I am so excited about your trip as well as learning all your helpful hints. I have been planning our 14 day cruise and land tour on Radiance for August. We also are staying four additional days in Fairbanks so we can go on the Arctic tour. I have folders for everything, cross referencing information, articles, helpful hints etc. Husband and friends also think I am obsessed, but I thrive on being a flexible organizer (sounds healthier) :)

Anyway thank you for all your time, effort and information.

Oh are you taking long underwear? As you see we are from Florida. Also any idea as to number of folks taking the land portion of the trip?

 

Ewwww.... I have lots of things planned for Fairbanks (we have a rental car there!). The Arctic tour sounds wonderful, but we're only in town about 36 hours!

 

You sound like my kind of planner... our hubbies just don't know how good they've got it, think how much it would cost to have someone plan your trip for you!

 

And yes, I'm taking silk Thermals and hubby is taking CuddleDuds I got on sale for 50% off.

 

Thanks for taking time to ask questions and for following along. Please feel free to ask all the questions that you want... if I don't know the answer, I'm sure that someone else will speak up as we go :)

[ace1zoe2]

We went the last week in August, first week of September and didn't need any winter jackets. We used layers... shirt, sweater, then a light jacket. We used gloves only a few times. We were never cold. We hiked at Mendenhall Glacier which was wonderful.

 

I noticed some of the temperatures in Denali and Anchorage are going to be 80 degrees the next few days. Maybe you'll luck out and hit the "warm" season in Alaska. Ketchikan was in the 50s and expecting rain. It changes every year... you just have to be prepared for all types of weather.

 

Thanks for sharing all about your packing. I can't believe you fit all of that in the carry-on and backpack. Hope it works!

 

Looking forward to watching your progress on your Land/Sea tour in a few days!

 

I agree... think LAYERS! I didn't do this last time but learned my lesson...

 

I actually couldn't believe that I got everything that I listed to fit into my carry-ons either, but I promise you that I did. I, too, amy hoping that it works as planned!

[ace1zoe2]

Seems to me you have given a great outline to go by, including answering my question re long johns. We plan on one check in and back back each... And I thought I was doing great. You have now given me food for thought. Thank you.

 

Glad that I could get you to thinking! It's taken me all these years to finally quit saying "we bring way to much stuff!" and actually do something about it.

 

I read years ago on the Cruise Critic forum, and many times since, in reply to the question, "What should I bring?"

 

BRING TWICE AS MUCH MONEY & HALF AS MUCH CLOTHES AS YOU THINK YOU NEED & YOU'LL BE ALL SET!

 

Definitely words to live by :)

[ace1zoe2]

I am interested in booking Alaska for 2014, maybe 2015, so I guess I should start looking at availability. We have also cruised in cabin #9256 so we are well aware of the view!

 

I am particularly interested in all the little details and I will be watching your review closely. I also book some trips more than 2 years in advance and am myself a little OCD about the details and I am the one friends and coworkers come to for the little extra inside tips I've picked up along the way.

 

HOWEVER, you got me on the packing. I am most interested in this as we are doing our third Mediterranean trip and have yet been able to pack correctly!:eek:. We will be doing an 8 London and Paris land tour followed by a 7 day cruise plus the travel time involved. We had cruised with one couple that packed nothing but lightweight clothing that was washable and fast drying. All the clothes were rolled and packed. Still, needing hiking boots, sneakers and dress shoes for dinner make this impossible for me. Not to mention the toiletries. Every trip I promise myself I'm going to do better for the next but it just doesn't happen! LOL I will take any suggestions.

 

Looking forward to all of your review, Carol

 

Love, love, love that cabin! Funny story... finally talked our BFF's into going on a cruise with us next year to Europe for their anniversary. Found the cruise REALLY early on, decided to book Serenade OTS checked online 9256 not showing available, called.... nope, not available, book another aft on deck 10. Talk to BFF an hour later she's asking what cabin I would book if I was her, advised 9256 but it's not available, I already called & checked.... silence for a minute and she says, i'm going to book it, i say WHAT??? IT'S NOT AVAILABLE! She says I guess it was, I just put it on hold! So apparently between the time I called & she went online someone released a hold or something so now, on her first ever RCI cruise, she got one of the most coveted cabins on the entire shiip! But I'm very happy for her.... hopefully this will make her want to cruise again..

 

Doesn't it make you feel special when someone asks for your EXPERTISE?

 

 

The key to packing light is the clothing. It is a little pricey, but if you watch for sales & clearance and think of it as an investment, something that will last, that you can wear over many trips its totally worth it... Just pick basic colors and items (pants, capris, shorts, black dress, skirts, etc) then add color in your shirts so that you can mix'n match. Add a piece or two each trip & it will all add up.

 

My friend swears by the rolling method & I have tried it in the past in the large checked bags & it worked fairly well but I still had creases & wrinkles, so this time I'm trying out the packinglight.net method and going in to the bag it worked like a charm... We'll see how it looks on Friday night when we arrive in Fairbanks!

 

I hope to give you lots more practical information along the way, thanks for coming on vacation with us!

[ace1zoe2]

Sorry ace for being such a highjacker! Please do go one, I'm just so excited!

 

I encourage all of you going now or soon to go over to the Alaska boards and post your hints and experiences. That is my main source for all our information. It really helps if you review it there![/size][/font]

 

Becci, thanks for you're input... I took some time after work today to do the pre-cruise ritual... You know, ladies... The important stuff! Let's say it, all together now..."MANI/PEDI/CUT & COLOR!" :)

 

I also agree about Alaska under the Ports of Call forum... There is a wealth of information there!

[BecciBoo]

Just watched the Packinglight video...sounds like we will try that in Sept. Thanks!

[ace1zoe2]

Alright, I hope that you are ready for my tips that can SAVE YOU POTENTIALLY THOUSANDS OF $$$. Those of you planning for 2014-2015 will be able to save the most, while those of you planning for 2013 may have already missed your chance for saving a lot of cash, however you still have the opportunity to save some.

 

Here are my first two tips:

1. PLAN EARLY, follow the CC ALASKA board & ASK QUESTIONS!

2. Order the ALASKA TOURSAVER BOOK (after thoroughly researching what's in it)

 

PLAN EARLY

 

By planning early you will have the opportunity to locate the best deals, book the excursions you want, get the flights you want, usually get the best prices on the cruise, etc. Pretty much everything I am going to tell you, I found out here on CC.

When I started reading in CC I started out with a link that someone gave me to the RCI thread... it probably took me a year to figure out that there was a whole other CC world out there! While I am loyal to Royal and have honestly never been in any of the cruise line forums... the PORTS OF CALL forum can give you a wealth of knowledge about the places you will visit, local tour providers, hotels, transfers, ways to save money and more. By reading the ports of call board for Alaska I found ideas that literally saved me over $1500 on my Alaska trip!

 

ALASKA TOURSAVER BOOK

 

When I booked my trip, I had never heard of the Toursaver book, I read about it under the Alaska forum in CC. I am by nature leery of things that sound too good to be true so I did a lot reading and research before I was willing to invest $99 of my hard earned money to potentially save some cash. So after thoroughly reading reviews from other cruisers who had used it, TripAdvisor reports, the Toursaver website and more, I was sold. If you are cruising this summer, in my opinion you are TOO LATE to save any significant cash with this book. If you are planning for next year, you will need to wait until November to purchase the 2014 Alaska Toursaver Book. You will need to know what type of tours you want to take, what ports you want to take them, etc.

 

The first thing you have to understand when using the Toursaver book is that most vendors that provide small group or private tours only allow ONE COUPON PER EXCURSION and I don't mean only YOU can use one on the excursion. I mean only ONE PERSON TOTAL on the entire excursion can use a coupon. In other words, say you have a coupon for a whale watching tour and you want to go on Friday at 9am, you call to book your excursion & tell them that you have a TSB & want to use a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, if your PLAN EARLY you'll probably get what you wanted. Or, it's possible that someone else called yesterday & already used their coupon for that excursion so now, no one else can use a coupon for that specific time... so you have to book the 12pm or 3pm excursion instead... which is still workable and will save you literally hundreds of dollars.

 

So figure out what excursions you want to do between now and November. Then look at the Toursaver website: http://www.toursaver.com where you can see every coupon offered prior to ordering the book. If it looks like there are coupons you could use then and only then invest your $99 to purchase the book. Be ready to book your tours as soon as you get your book before someone else gets a chance to use their coupons. This means you need to start socking back some cash for excursions between now and December/January because pretty much every tour you book in Alaska requires payment up front (whether using a coupon or not). You do have 14 days to return your book for a refund - so if all the coupons you wanted to use are not available, or you're not going to save enough to pay for it, you can send it back!

 

Make sure you do not tear your coupons out of the book. You must take the book with you and let them take it out when you arrive. (People were selling their unused coupons on ebay, so they implemented this rule).

 

Alaska excursions are expensive! The season is short and most vendors have to earn their living during the tour season of May to September. In order to see some magnificent sites in Alaska you are using helicopters, float planes, private boats, trains, buses, etc. so you are paying premium amounts to see things you can't see in port by walking.... But boy is it worth it!

 

To give you an idea of how much you can save using this BOGO coupon book, I am going to share the coupons I have used. The larger operations that handle thousands of tourist per day have no limits to the number of coupons they will accept. Here are the coupons I took advantage of:

 

$ 59.95 Fairbanks - Discovery Riverboat Tour (unlimited coupons)

$ 12.00 Fairbanks - Fountainhead Auto Museum (unlimited coupons)

$ 24.95 Juneau - Glacier Gardens (unlimited coupons)

$165.00 Icy Strait Point - Hoonah Travel Adventures Whale Watch (limit 1 coupon)

$269.00 Ketchikan - Misty Fjords Flightseeing Tour by Floatplane (limit 1 coupon)

$209.00 Ketchikan - Adventure Karts Tour (limit 1 coupon)

 

$739.90 SAVINGS I HAD USING THE TOURSAVER BOOK FOR EXCURSIONS!!!

 

So what could have cost me $1,479.80 for my tours was slashed IN HALF by doing a little PRE-PLANNING!

 

After paying $99 for the book, I still saved $640.90! I don't know about you, but I think that is an awesome deal :) There are single coupons that can save you $400, $459, $500 depending on the type of tours you book. Tours are non-refundable, except in case of weather cancellations by the providers. Your potential savings could be even greater depending on the type of tour you would like to do. There are coupons for bear watching tours, the Alaska railroad, Harv & Marv tours (none were available during my dates), white-water rafting, rental cars, hotels, museums, fishing expeditions, glacier landings, sled dog tours, helicopter tours & more. When using the unlimited coupons, you can just walk up to the ticket counter and use them on the spot without pre-booking (think museums, gardens, etc.) There are still others I plan to use if we have time, like the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward $20. There are also coupons for FREE GIFTS at the local port shops which I am sure are probably nothing to speak of but hey, its free. If you will be in there shopping anyway, you might as well get your free gift.

 

The books come out at the end of November or beginning of December. I ordered mine before Christmas and booked my tours starting on 1/3/13 and one of my first choices for the flight tour was already gone. I had wanted the early morning tour and had to take the afternoon instead, but it all worked out.

 

We decided to go a day early for our cruise tour so that we would have time in Fairbanks to actually see the city. So back in October 2012 I booked 3 hotels in Fairbanks since RCI could't tell me which of their preferred hotels they'd be using (Sophie Station, Pikes Waterfront Lodge or the Wedgewood Resort) until about 90 days out. We didn't want to have to change hotels, or switch rooms for that matter, so I wanted to make sure we had a reservation at whatever hotel we would be staying at. When I finally found out we would be staying at Pikes Waterfront Lodge I was able to cancel the other two without penalty. When I called Pikes back I ask them if the would allow me to use a BOGO coupon from the Alaska Toursaver coupon book since we were staying the following night with our cruise tour. Unfortunately they didn't go for that, however they did give me a 20% DISCOUNT on the room from the original price I was quoted, which I thought was very nice of them. That saved me another $40 or so.

 

My next money-saving tip is coming later today!

Edited May 30, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Hopefully my last post got you excited about saving the big bucks! This post will be in regards to airfare and ways to save when traveling to/from Alaska:

 

 

Use your EXISTING FREQUENT FLYER POINTS!

 

I used mine on our last trip so this option was not available to me for this trip. However last October hubby & I flew non-stop both directions from Dallas to Montreal & from NYC to Dallas for $5 each for our Canada/New England trip.

 

Get an ALASKA AIRLINES CREDIT CARD!

 

I considered this another "investment" for my Alaska trip. I also found this valuable information on the Alaska boards here on CC. For a $75 annual fee you can get the premier Alaska Airlines credit card. Why would you want to pay a fee to get a credit card, you ask? I will tell you! To save HUNDREDS of dollars!

 

Just so you don't think I'm crazy, let me explain my thinking. I got this card for one reason & one reason only... to SAVE MONEY :) But I had to "invest" $75 first to save $650 on just this flight by using a $99 companion fare you receive when opening the card... and as an added bonus they gave me enough points that one of us can fly for free (ok so not actually free, but something like $10 or $15 each way total cost) on their airline or any one of 12 airline partners!

 

I had been watching flights for several months and the cheapest flight I had found was $1300 including taxes and fees... and that was PER PERSON! Remember, we are flying all the way to Fairbanks, not just Seattle. Then one day I was reading the Alaska boards and came across a thread about the PFD sale... what the heck was a PFD sale? I thought...I had to find out, so I read more.

 

Turns out PFD is the abbreviation for the Permanent Fund Dividend. For eligible Alaska residents (must of been here for a year and attest that you are staying) and they file every year for this benefit. Then on a rolling five year average, they take the earnings from the Transalaskan Pipeline royalties, and divide by the eligible residents and Alaskan citizens get a check (which is federally taxable, no state income tax there) So, with all this additional money, lots of companies put out things for sale. Heaven forbid, you should see the lines at Costco and Sam's :D info provided by Susan in Anchorage :)

 

So every October Alaska has a big sale! That thread is where I learned about the Alaska Airlines credit card. You get the card thru BOA and you pay $75 on your first bill. For opening the account you receive upfront (before you even spend a dime on the card) a coupon code for a $99 COMPANION FARE and 25,000 frequent flyer miles! I watched in October for the sales and finally found a flight for $754.69 pp plus fees for a total of $844.09 (this was a savings of $450pp from what I had seen up to this point. So I booked our flights using the $99 companion fare which with taxes & fees came out to $210.09. So for a total of $1054.18 we had flights from Dallas to Seattle to Fairbanks with a return from Vancouver to Seattle to Dallas. I saved $1600 over the best deal I had been able to find (on any airline) up to that point.

 

As an added bonus I have 25,000 points plus what we both will receive for our flights (they are combined under one number) plus the points for the purchase. I already have enough points that one of us can fly for $15 each way using American Airlines from Dallas to Orlando or Jacksonville to visit my daughter who is moving in 3 weeks.

 

I paid the card in full as soon as I got the bill and I will cancel the card before the next annual fee posts. So my $75 "investment" saved us $635 off the price I booked at, plus I'm getting an almost free flight ($25-$30) to Florida which would have cost me at least $250-$350 on a good day.

 

And Alaska Airlines is one of the few airlines that allow you to track your flight cost and if it goes down they will credit your card or give you future credit on another flight.

 

Okay... so you're opposed to getting a credit card to save money? Another option for you might be a price tracking service like YAPTA. You can input your flight information find the exact flights you want on one or more carriers and dates and they will track the price for you. You can set a point at which you want to be notified and they will send you an email so you can book at a lower price. I have had luck with this in the past.

 

I'm sure there are other ways that you can save on flights and I know others will chime in with their suggestions. There are all kinds of websites like expedia, etc. to compare prices to find the best deals.

 

Let me know what you think of my money saving strategies so far! I still have more for you coming up later today... but now I have to go to work :)

 

8 MORE HOURS & VACATION OFFICIALLY BEGINS!

[BecciBoo]

I had already booked our excursions but the coupons were not available with HnM nor Island Wings and those were the only excursions we had wanted to do, but still think others can take advantage of the book.

As for flights, we did the same thing, applied for the Delta Credit Card and not only got bonus miles for signing up but forever free 1 checked bag each. We already use Delta with AMEX points and we always fly free to our cruise ports. This Alaska cruise flight is costing $25 each for fees.

Good advice.

[ace1zoe2]

I had already booked our excursions but the coupons were not available with HnM nor Island Wings and those were the only excursions we had wanted to do, but still think others can take advantage of the book.

 

 

Sorry, Becci, you are correct. I was thinking it was HnM but it was Major Marine coupons I saw.:p

[Nana57]

Our cruise will end in Vancouver. Our flight isn't until 10 pm. Does anyone know where can we store our luggage at the airport so we can spend the day in Vancouver. We will try to use 2 carry-ons and two back packs, but need a place to store them.